Pietersen, who is eager to revive his England career at 34 after making the last of 104 Test match appearances against Australia in January 2014, finished with 53 not out as Surrey drew with Glamorgan in Cardiff

Glamorgan skipper and South Africa Test player Jacques Rudolph paid a glowing tribute to Kevin Pietersen after the former England captain ended his first county championship game for almost two years with an unbeaten half-century and in touching distance of a batting record.

Pietersen, who is eager to revive his England career at 34 after making the last of 104 Test match appearances against Australia in January 2014, finished with 53 not out as Surrey declared their second innings on 207 for four against Glamorgan in Cardiff.

His innings, a scratchy one at times, contained just four boundaries, yet he fell two runs short of becoming the batsman to score a fastest 1,000 runs in Surrey history.

Former England star Mark Ramprakash and South African Zander de Bruyn both got there in 18 innings for the county, and Pietersen was two runs short of hitting four figures when Surrey declared.

He should reach the milestone when Surrey play their next championship match against Essex, though, as he currently has 998 runs from 16 innings.

Pietersen’s knock lasted 70 balls, and it followed the 170 he made against Oxford MCCU in The Parks earlier this month.

But while there appears little to suggest that Pietersen is anywhere near featuring on England’s selection radar 77 days before the opening Ashes Test at Cardiff’s SWALEC Stadium, his domestic season is at least off and running.

Rudolph used to lock horns with Pietersen in school and was impressed with what he saw.

“He batted well,” Rudolph said. “He looked very comfortable at the crease and as if he is playing with a lot of confidence, having scored 170 last week.

“I wish him well. I am not sure how things are going to go with regards to international cricket, but he has decided to give it another crack and hopefully it can work out for him.”

Surrey skipper Gareth Batty also hailed Pietersen.

“I thought he played really well,” said Batty, after the game petered out into a draw.

“He played like a true professional and the wonderful player he is.

“He has been magnificent. He has been trying to give everything, be it getting runs or in the field.”

Batty added: “We would be sorry to lose him if England wanted him. I can’t speak highly enough of the man.

“I would be very disappointed if we are not amassing scores consistently. We are talking about two wonderful players (Pietersen and his Surrey team-mate Kumar Sangakkara) - it has been on show in this game.

“If you get big runs, you have got a chance of winning games of cricket, so all we can keep doing is putting ourselves in that situation, and the bowlers have got some hard work to do and find a way of getting 20 wickets.

“At the minute, Kevin is very much onside with everything that we are about at Surrey. We are looking to the future with Kevin Pietersen.”

A lone boo was heard among a sparse crowd in the sunshine when Pietersen strode out 37 minutes into the final morning to join Sri Lanka star Sangakkara with the score on 41 for two.

A gentle nudge into the onside got Pietersen off the mark from his first ball, but he was content to provide a support role initially as Sangakkara displayed his full range of attacking guile, including a straight six off Graham Wagg.

The pair added 37 before Sangakkara was caught in the gully by Dean Cosker off third day centurion Craig Meschede, then Pietersen and Jason Roy compiled 43 for the fourth wicket until Roy’s punchy knock of 29 was ended by a stunning Wagg catch at extra-cover, with Cosker the successful bowler.

Pietersen continued to push on, although Glamorgan wicket-keeper Mark Wallace did claim a stumping off Meschede when Pietersen left his crease, but end of the over had already been called.

He added 55 for the fifth wicket by lunch with Gary Wilson - Surrey led Glamorgan by 320 - but the visitors surprisingly chose to bat on after the interval, and they eventually set their opponents an unlikely victory target of 352, with Pietersen and Wilson (47 not out) forging an unbroken partnership of 86.

Surrey declared shortly after lunch, and it was then purely a case of batting practice for Glamorgan, with openers Rudolph and James Kettleborough both hitting undefeated half-centuries as they closed on 116 without loss.